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The Wisdom of Not-Knowing essays on psychotherapy, Buddhism and life experience

“We often find that the state of not-knowing can be a precursor to moments of rich discovery which possess a dynamic, transformative power that exceeds any prior expectation.” From the Introduction

In daily life, when we see, hear or touch something that we don’t recognise, we are instantly at our most alert. In that condition of ‘not-knowing’ we are in a state of alive, lithe awareness: asking questions, inviting input, open to learning, looking for significance and meaning…

These essays, most by practising psychotherapists, some of them Buddhists, take as their starting point the idea that not-knowing is fundamental to conscious reflection and the desire to know must always arise in the first instance from the self-awareness of not-knowing.

The ESSAYS

Most of the essays use case studies or draw on autobiographical experience to examine some aspect of not-knowing. These include:

the example of a client whose experiences and behaviour on the threshold of the consulting room enable him to identify and change deeply established mindsets

exploring, through a reading of Wuthering Heights, how 'knowing’ is a fetish - it gives us brief comfort against life’s inherent uncertainty

not-knowing and a car accident in the Devon lanes

Donald Rumsfeld's known knows, known unknowns and unknown unknowns applied to sexual identity

exploring self and identity through the fear brought on by ghosts and the dark

an archetypal encounter in Norway

a comparison of 'emotional knowing' and 'cognitive knowing' explored through psychotherapeutic work

how our ' issues' we believe, at some level, give us our identity; but not only that – they make us interesting and give us a certain mystique and allure

collective 'not-knowing' and group process

not-knowing and ayahuasca

ignorance, not-knowing, beyond-knowing, curiosity: some aspects of the psycotherapist's trade

how,from a Zen Buddhist point of view, the problem with the acquisition of knowledge is that we invariably identify with our knowledge, and this acts in very subtle ways to block us from experiencing things in an open, un-predetermined way.

not-knowing - diagnosis and treatment for an uncertain health practitioner

Readership

Read in any order, on waking, before sleeping or when in doubt… they will be of interest to anyone who has ever sat in either chair in a psychotherapist’s or counsellor’s room – as well as anyone troubled or intrigued by what it takes to live comfortably and well in a condition of not knowing all (or even any) of the answers.

Reviews

John Del Bagno at Buddhist Door:

"The Wisdom of Not-Knowing approaches [not-knowing] from a number of viewpoints. We find our way in through the reflections of Buddhists and non-Buddhists, therapists and clients, activists and those who seek higher consciousness through the natural world. What I found most exceptional was the personal stories and experiences of those who have tried to come to grips with the same discomfort I have felt in periods of not knowing.

... Jason P. Ranek’s contribution highlights the front and back of our ego structure when we come into contact with the unknown. There are many references from the Buddha himself through quotes from the Buddhist canon. However, such disparate people as Emily Brontë, Donald Rumsfeld, and an ayahuasca shaman are also mentioned, opening up unexpected avenues.

As a layperson, I am not familiar with many of the therapists whose models and theories are quoted in the book, but their presence does not dominate the discussion. In fact, I was pleased that the language of psychotherapy was spoken in a couple of the essays, such as Rosemary Lodge’s 'Sometimes We Don’t Know What We Know' which calls on therapists to reflect on their own willingness for emotional connection in therapy in order to better facilitate a client’s own self-discovery.

Caroline Brazier’s excellent essay, 'Buddhist Psychology, Therapy and Not-Knowing,' speaks well of the benefits of holding the place of not-knowing but also warns that it can become an excuse to not move forward... She also goes on to precisely summarize the place of not-knowing for the Buddhist: 'In following the Buddhist Path, we hold the place of not-knowing lest we are drawn into the false creations of certainty which congeal into the defensive edifice of the ordinary psyche.'

We hear more on false certainty in Bob Chisholm’s work. Although the known knowns in one’s life may give a sense of stability, they may also become fixations that block a fuller awareness. They may not actually be false, but they can still mislead one into believing that they are the only things that matter.'”Read the full review at Buddhist Door

"This book particularly appealed to me as an artist, writer and teacher, as not knowing is a key concept in Art School education, and what appears to set it apart from many other areas of study.If you are a reader of popular psychology and philosophy this book tackles some currently popular themes in a thorough, well researched an in-depth manner. So definitely step two if you are looking for a fuller, more academic text to further your inquiry.My only negative and what would make me give this book 4.5, rather than 5 stars, for a book of this sort is the disappointing cover. This book deserves a cover which sets it apart from other collections of essays."A Addison on Amazon

The book is a refreshing balance of personal, philosophical and theoretical explorations of not-knowing, providing an insightful and stimulating read. The essays are relevant to anyone who grapples with the experience of not-knowing, whether therapists or practising Buddhists. Discussions and explorations of theory and philosophy are accessible and add insight to existing writing around therapy and Buddhism. The personal reflections on either client work or life experience bring the theory and philosophy to life, adding a much-needed sense of humility to psychotherapeutic discourse. The personal accounts do make the book more interesting and it is often a delight to read how others experience this very human stance of not-knowing. The book does justice to the complexity of human experience as well as the complexity of the concept of not-knowing.​​Writers demonstrate that they have ‘lived’ their ideas and ‘lived’ unknowing and have experienced and thought about this wisdom in not-knowing. This quality of engagement makes for a book that seems unique to the literature around psychotherapy – neither modelling a perfect way of unknowing, nor turning not-knowing it into a theory. ​Read the full review from Self & Society

Dr. Laura Colucci-Gray in Education in the North, Vol 23, 2"This book... brings a refreshingly new perspective on the idea of knowledge by putting the emphasis on ‘not-knowing’. As the editors declare in their opening introduction: “if knowledge represents power and makes any exercise of power possible, not-knowing might seem to amount to little more than a confession of ignorance” (p. 7).

A certain irony characterises each contribution in the book. How could the negative statement of ‘not-knowing’ give rise to any knowledge at all? The writers are all practicing counsellors and psychotherapists with years of experience of clinical practice. Each chapter recounts moments of clinical experience during which practitioners and clients were confronted with the recognition of ‘not-knowing’ as a necessary moment of change and transformation. Far away from the seeking of answers and the anticipation of solutions, “every successful course of psychotherapy – recount the editors – hinged on an event that could not have been predicted beforehand” (p.7).Hence, interesting questions are being posed. First of all, what is ‘not-knowing’ and how can we know about it; secondly, and most importantly, what is the value of ‘not-knowing’ and thirdly, can the experience of ‘not-knowing’ be just as rich and meaningful for other fields of endeavour?

A certain sense of surrendering and letting go permeates the writings concerned with ‘not-knowing’. Knowledge is not ‘gained’ or even ‘produced’; rather, it seems to surge and flow through the body expanding and flowing in and out of differential states of change and personal awareness. Yet, while the book is set to make a distinction between the personal, existential ‘not-knowing’ and the more conventional, objective ‘knowing that’, many examples are given by the contributors to illustrate points of contact between the different ways of knowing.

...The book provides a rich array of symbols and images for understanding one’s own practice. The ‘via negativa’ of Jeff Harrison; ‘the path’ of Manu Bazzano and also the ‘dance’ proposed by Owen Okie, that is, the on-going movement of stepping inside and outside the boundaries of one’s experience, one’s belief and one’s perspective. The suspension of judgement; the questioning of assumptions or even the breaking of habit-patterns are all aspects of this dance which the psychotherapists are skilled at recognising. ‘Not-knowing’ enables the ‘not-knowing’ of a subject from every possible perspective.​Read the full review from Education in the North